Marine and Coastal Access Act 2009

The above act received Royal Assent on 12th November, 2009.

This Act (amongst other things) places a duty on the Secretary of State to make, where such access does not already exist, a continuous route open to the public next to the coast all the way around the coast of England and Wales.

This is intended to be along the lines of the existing South West Coastal Path that leads from Minehead in North Somerset around to Poole Harbour in Dorset.

This new legislation could affect changes in Rights of Access to the coast for everybody and Rights of Way being imposed on land owned by private individuals if their property is adjacent to the coast. This could affect the privacy and value of affected properties, as well as place a liability on affected property owners.

Time will tell how the good intentions of the Act come to affect property interests, adversely or otherwise, along various stretches of the coast of England and Wales.